R. H. Young Community Center dedicated

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The Robert H. Young Community Center was dedicated on Saturday, May 4, 2024. The community center is named for the long-time principal of the former Carver School, which was purchased from the Greene County Board of Education by the City of Eutaw in 2018.

Mayor of Eutaw, Latasha Johnson, assisted by Valerie Watkins, City Council District 1 member conducted the dedication ceremony. Mayor Johnson said she was proud of the efforts of the City of Eutaw to renovate and develop the R. H. Young Community Center.

“This center houses offices for the Extension Service. It has served as an incubator for small businesses, it was the office for FEMA tornado relief and many other programs. We have used the gymnasium for community meetings, job fairs, health fairs, funerals, birthday parties, family reunions and many other purposes including as a storm shelter,” said Mayor Johnson.

The family of the late Robert H. Young were present, including his wife, Carolyn Young,  who writes a weekly column for the Greene County Democrat,  Also, present were son, daughter-in-law and  past students of the Youngs, who taught and administrated at the Carver School.

Members of the Tuscaloosa Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, of which Young was a member, attended the dedication ceremony and pledged to support the programmatic, construction and maintenance needs of the community center, going forward, in memory of Robert H. Young. Mayor Johnson said the City of Eutaw was searching for grants to improve the community center and welcome aid from residents and others concerned that the city has a usable and comfortable community center facility.

Kickoff held for $6 million Sports Complex at Greene County High School

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This past Saturday morning, May 4, 2024, Dr. Corey Jones, Superintendent of Greene County School Board held a public kickoff celebration for the construction of a $6 million Sports Complex to serve the students and residents of Greene County.

The Sports Complex will include three phases. Phase 1 includes a Football Field with bleachers, lighting, a press box, entrance plaza, which will be surrounded by a running track and broad jump and pole-vaulting areas for Track and Field, toilets, and a concession area. Phase 2 will construct a Football Fieldhouse with home and visitors dressing areas. Phase 3 will include a Softball and Baseball Complex, with toilets and concession stand.

The Greene County Board of Education, with help from our state legislative delegation of Senator Bobby Singleton and Representative Curtis Travis, secured $1.1 million, from the Lieutenant Governor’s Discretionary Fund for Educational Capital Projects, to begin Phase 1 of the project this year. The Board has established a “Sport Complex Committee” of community leaders and volunteers to give advice and help to raise funds for the project.

At the Kickoff celebration, there were several large placards with drawings of the potential elements of the Sports Complex. One of which we have photographed and included with this news story.

Superintendent Jones explained the project at the Kickoff celebration. He was joined by Eutaw Mayor Latasha Johnson , Coach James E. Morrow, from the City Council of Boligee, Representative Curtis Travis and Board President, Leo Branch of the Greene County Board of Education, in giving greetings and support for the project. The Greene County High School Band and Cheer-Leaders performed several musical and dance numbers.

The initial $1.1 million will be spent on preparing the football field, constructing the track and field areas, and as much of the other facilities that the funds can be stretched to purchase. McKee and Associates of Montgomery, an architecture firm with experience designing schools and school facilities, has been contracted to provide architectural design and inspection services. Contractors will be asked to bid on elements of the project.

The Sports Complex Committee has been meeting regularly to discuss strategies to raise private funds from citizens, organizations, churches, business, and other sources to help match public funds that may become available for the project.

Leo Branch, President of the Greene County School Board, commented, “We want to have a way for everyone, from the smallest donors to the largest, to participate in helping to build this project. We plan to sell bricks or stones, which will be engraved with the names of donors, to construct walkways at the Sports Complex. We also want to offer large corporations that operate in our communities, like Love’s Truckstop, RockTenn, Alabama Power, Consolidated Catfish, Black Warrior Electric, Colonial Pipeline and others, the naming rights on the football field, buildings, and other facilities at the Sports Complex.”

Anyone interested in supporting the Sport Complex Committee may contact the Greene County Board of Education and Superintendent Corey Jones, at 220 Main Street, Eutaw, Al 35462, phone 205-372-3109.

 

Part of 20th anniversary celebration Black Belt Community Foundation moves to new office in Selma

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On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the Board, staff, and supporters of the Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) moved from their previous office  to dedicate their new office at 410 Church Street in Selma, Alabama. The move, ribbon cutting, office tours, and street festival were all part of the foundation’s year-long 20th anniversary celebration.

The move from the 609 Lauderdale Street office to the new office, which is owned and has been renovated by BBCF was accomplished in a parade of the staff and leadership of the community foundation. They were accompanied by the Selma High School Band and Cheerleaders.

Felicia Lucky, BBCF President of the foundation, serving 12 counties that cut across the central part of the.” state, welcomed the crowd. They were assembled in a tent in the blocked off street in front of the new office. There were food trucks, a bounce-house and other games in the blocks of Church Street closed for the occasion. Lucky said, “People and communities are the central focus of our foundation and its activities. This new building will help us to accomplish our mission and better serve the community.

A proclamation was read from Alabama Governor Kay Ivey designating May 1 as Black Belt Community Foundation Day in Alabama.

Dr. Carol P. Zippert, founding Board chair of the foundation, was invited to make remarks. She said, “I am glad to be here to tell the story of the BBCF. We must always be ready to tell our own story.

“We, the 16 members of the organizing committee and first board, went through months of discussion and planning in 2003 and 2004 to develop the name, mission, logo, slogan, and plans for our own foundation. We went to visit each of the 12 counties, asking people about their assets and strengths, not their problems and deficiencies. We wanted to start our community foundation to build philanthropy from the grassroots, recognizing our community needs and ways the community could work together to fulfill those needs. After twenty years of work, we have begun to realize the promise and work of our community foundation.”

Former State Senator Hank Sanders, a Selma attorney, who was part of the formation of the foundation said that work on developing a foundation had begun for five years before the formal incorporation of BBCF. The idea for a community foundation came out of discussions of a “Selma Collaborative” which was an alliance of social justice non-profits in Selma and surrounding counties.

“Carol Zippert, who was serving on the Board of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, had visited with community foundations across the country, brought the idea to the Selma Collaborative, as a way to raise and assemble funding for community groups. Then we were contacted by Dr. David Wilson of Auburn and Julian Smith of the Alabama Power Company, who were also looking into the possibility of a community foundation to serve the Alabama Black Belt counties,” said Sanders.

“Our group in Selma, already had incorporated the BBCF Inc. to be a community foundation. We changed the name by dropping the Inc. and the BBCF was born and has moved forward ever since,” said Sanders. He also explained that the motto of the foundation, “Taking what we have, to make what we need”, came from a saying from his mother, who used it to encourage her large family of 13 children, when things got hard.

George McMillan, a former Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, who was an original BBCF Board member also attended and spoke. “We had days and days of meetings to work out the details and plans of BBCF. One thing that we can all be very proud of is our foundation in ‘community associates’ which guide and advise the foundation in every county, help to raise money, and serve as points of contact for people to communicate with the foundation. This is a unique element of BBCF’s structure and operations that other groups wishing to start community foundation have studied and tried to copy,” said McMillan.

Felicia Lucky introduced the current Board of Directors, the staff including Headstart Staff, Community Associates, and other supporters in attendance. She gave a check for $1,000 to the Selma High School Band Director for their participation and invited various ministers to give dedicatory prayers for the dedication. Then current and past board members
Assembled to officially cut a ribbon to open the new office.

Persons interested in learning more about, or to donate to, the Black Belt Community Foundation, may contact the BBCF at 410 Church Street in Selma, Alabama 36702; or by going online to their website at: blackbeltfound.org, or calling 334-874-1126.

Newswire : President Biden honors Medgar Evers

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Medgar Evers

Last week, President Biden named nineteen Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, including posthumous recognition of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. He was the first NAACP Field Secretary in Mississippi. 

Mr. Evers worked to set up an NAACP office there. In the early 1960s, he organized high-profile boycotts of merchants in Jackson. In 1962, he instrumentalized the campaign to admit African American student James Meredith to the University of Mississippi.

Medgar Evers fought for his country in World War II and returned home to lead the fight against segregation in Mississippi. He was 37 when he was murdered at his home by Byron De La Beckwith.

Newswire : The UN issues warning for Sudan

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United Nations agencies issued a joint warning on Friday that time is running out to prevent starvation in Sudan’s Darfur region due to intensifying clashes around the northern capital of El Fasher, which are hindering efforts to deliver lifesaving aid.


Since fighting erupted last April between rival militaries, Sudan has witnessed shocking levels of violence, plunging the country into a devastating humanitarian and protection crisis.

Close to 25 million people – more than half the population – are estimated to need assistance, with approximately 17.7 million people facing “acute” levels of food insecurity.

The crisis, described as being of “epic proportions” by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is exacerbated by limited access to vulnerable communities due to ongoing fighting and authorities’ restrictions, particularly in Darfur, while the fighting rages on between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The latest escalation of violence around El Fasher has halted aid convoys from Chad’s Tine border crossing. Authorities in Port Sudan are preventing aid transport via Adre, the only other viable cross-border corridor from Sudan’s western neighbor.

Newswire : Louisiana Supreme Court approves formation of new, all-white, St. George City

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By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent


Deep-seated racial and economic tensions will be present in the new chapter of Baton Rouge’s history because of the Louisiana Supreme Court’s historic decision approving the creation of the City of St. George. The decision follows a protracted legal battle initiated by affluent white residents seeking to carve out their own municipality from the broader cityscape, citing concerns over governance, public safety, and educational quality.

Encompassing a sprawling 60-square-mile expanse in the southeast of East Baton Rouge Parish, St. George is poised to emerge as an autonomous entity with its own mayor and city council, catering to an estimated population of 86,000 residents. Advocates tout the move as necessary to address high crime rates and underperforming schools.

However, critics argue that the decision heralds the creation of a de facto segregated enclave, further entrenching racial and economic disparities within the Baton Rouge community. The polarizing debate underscores broader societal challenges and raises profound questions about equity and inclusion. It also has all the earmarks of America’s dark history of racial segregation, which preserves the economic advantages and social dominance of whites and the politically powerful, who have utilized legal and societal barriers to maintain their elite status over other communities. 

In Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, an African American student protested segregation by sitting at a drugstore lunch counter designated for whites only. Demonstrators staged a famous protest at a Woolworth store in New York City in 1960 to denounce segregation at the chain’s Southern lunch counters.
Racial segregation has been pervasive worldwide among mixed-race communities, excluding regions like Hawaii and Brazil with significant racial integration. According to Brittanica, while social discrimination exists in these areas, formal segregation does not. Conversely, in the Southern United States, the segregation of Black and white individuals in public spaces was legally sanctioned from the late 1800s to the 1950s under the Jim Crow laws. In response, African Americans initiated the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s to dismantle racial segregation. The movement culminated in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provided robust protections against discrimination and segregation in voting, education, and public facilities.
Meanwhile, the genesis of St. George dates back nearly 15 years, when residents initially sought to establish an independent school district. Over time, the ambition evolved into a broader push for municipal independence, culminating in a decisive 2019 ballot initiative in which 54 percent of residents voted in favor of incorporation.

Legal wrangling ensued, with Baton Rouge city officials contesting the move, warning of dire fiscal consequences and service disruptions. While lower courts initially sided with Baton Rouge, the state’s Supreme Court ultimately overturned their rulings, endorsing the viability of St. George’s internal budget to sustain essential public services.

Nevertheless, lingering concerns persist regarding the economic fallout. A 2014 study by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber projected a substantial budget deficit for the remaining portions of Baton Rouge, raising apprehensions about the city’s capacity to uphold public services post-separation.

“My goal from the very beginning—and it will always be my goal — is to advocate for a united Baton Rouge,” Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome told reporters. “I am committed to serving the residents of St. George.” 
 

Newswire : Poor People’s Campaign and national partners announce, “Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C. and to the Polls” ahead of 2024 elections

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Rev. William Barber II

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent



Bishop William J. Barber II, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, alongside Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, led a press conference on Monday at the National Press Club to unveil plans for the “Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C.: A Call to the Polls and to Vote.”

Scheduled for June 29th, the assembly aims to commence four months of outreach efforts targeting 15 million poor and low-wage infrequent voters nationwide. According to the study “Waking the Sleeping Giant: Poor and Low-Income Voters in the 2020 Elections,” approximately 85 million eligible voters in the United States are classified as poor or low wage, constituting at least 30% of the electorate. In battleground states, the percentage climbs to over 40%.

“This is movement time,” declared Bishop Barber. “We are here this morning to mobilize the power of over 33 million infrequent voters, poor and low wage, to demand attention to their concerns in the political arena.”
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis echoed this sentiment. “Our goal is to center the desires and political agenda of those who are often left out of the conversation,” Theoharis stated.
The coalition, comprising representatives from over thirty state coordinating committees, religious organizations, labor unions, and advocacy groups, seeks to mobilize the substantial voting bloc to demand political candidates’ endorsement of a moral agenda addressing the poverty and low-wealth crisis, which claims 295,000 lives annually.
“Poor and low-wage voters are saying in this season that if you want these votes, talk to poor and low-wage folks,” said Bishop Barber.
Rev. Mark Thompson, who also works for the National Newspaper Publishers Association, was among the many coalition members who addressed the issues during the news conference, which aired live on C-Span and at BlackPressUSA.com.
Thompson highlighted the interconnectedness of poverty with various social issues. “Wherever there is a lack of health care and voting rights, LGBT rights and immigrant rights, there is an abundance of poverty,” he asserted. “Wherever there is a lack of jobs and labor unions and sensible gun laws in women’s bodily autonomy, there is an abundance of poverty.”
He continued: “Wherever there is a lack of racial justice and legal rights, criminal justice reform, access to adequate legal representation, an alternative to incarceration and police reform, wherever those things are in lack, there is an abundance of poverty. Wherever there is a lack of what is now under attack, diversity, equity, and inclusion, affirmative action, investment in education, a lack of educational opportunities, there is an abundance of poverty. Wherever there is lack of religious tolerance, racial harmony, and beloved community, there is an abundance of poverty.”
The event’s organizers emphasized their commitment to empowering impoverished and low-wage individuals, aiming to amplify their voices in the political discourse. Rev. Thompson concluded, “I contend we do not need to ask permission to finish Dr. King’s work. He did not retire. It is our duty to pick up his baton and move forward. They always talk about the people who don’t want to vote. They never talk about the impoverished and low-wage individuals. We want to lift them and bring them forth. If we address these issues, we will address all these others.”
As the nation gears up for the 2024 elections, Bishop Barber, the Poor People’s Campaign, and its allies assert that they are poised to make their presence felt, advocating for policies that address the systemic issues perpetuating poverty and economic inequality across the country.
“We want to lift them up and bring them forth. If we address these issues, we will address all these others,” Thompson insisted.

Newswire : Community events held to overcome political opposition to union election for UAW representation at Mercedes Benz plant in Vance, Alabama set for May 13-17

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Rally held in Tuscaloosa in support of Mercedes Benz workers

 

By Pat Bryant
A big battle between workers at Mercedes Benz Vance plant near Tuscaloosa, Ala and its German employer is about to come to a head. Voting begins on whether workers will be represented by the United Auto Worker (UAW) on May 13 through 17 and results will be announced May 17 by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). UAW has been on a roll. Southern worker oppression, tough and unapologetic, seems crumbling. A rather festive weekend of worker support events attracted community supporters in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.
The United Auto Workers has filed a complaint with the NLRB of illegal company captive employee meetings and firing of workers who are advocating for unionization. Spokesman for Mercedes denies those allegations. This union battle follows a massive win of workers at the Tennessee Volkswagen plant, another German auto giant in which workers chose the United Auto Workers by a landslide. In Alabama, the main issue is pay and use of “temp workers”. A company spokesperson would not comment on pay structure.
Unionizing workers catch more hell in the South with elected leaders promising industrialists to provide docile workers in anti-union environments, nearly free land and no or low property taxes, and companies sometime keep state withholding taxes.
But feeling the power grip over workers slipping Governor Kay Ivey spoke in the media to company officials: “you need to fix this” referring to the system of threats and intimidation unique in the South. Alabama is a right to work state. That means every attempt of workers to organize is met with crushing company and government opposition. Employers can use the capital punishment for workers—firing—with no recourse. Workplaces that have unions provide a level of protection against unreasonable employer actions complained of at Mercedes Benz. Conversations with workers and community leaders show excitement and anticipation.
Several Democratic Party leaders came to support workers in weekend events in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. The festive events with barbeque, music, and gelato in toasty heat. Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, Alabama Democratic Party assistant chairperson Tabitha Isner, Birmingham’s Joshua Raby, the party Disability Chair were among many others that mixed with community leaders supporting workers.
Senator Jones said he was expecting as big a landslide in Alabama as at the Volkswagen vote in Tennessee.
Austin Brooks, an employee has been at the plant two years was excited. But Brooks says workers are frightened to the extent that many will not take a union flyer. Austin says employees are temps for a year, and if they don’t rub anybody the wrong may become permanent.
10 year employee Jacob Rines, was a temp worker at Mercedes for 5 years 2 months and 19 days before he was hired full-time. The six foot six husky guy may have rubbed someone the wrong way. The present campaign is his second time supporting unions at the factory. The rapid pace that workers have signed cards to unionize, he says, is amazing. He contributes worker excitement to the Big Three Automakers, GM, Ford, and Chrysler, contracting last year with United Auto Workers in a big 25 percent and higher pay raise. “It is proving that with a union we can win and get our fair share of representation”, Rine said.
Dr. Pam Foster, a medical doctor and medical school professor, said she is excited about the “possibilities of a union victory in Alabama”. She is a Alabama leader in the Poor People’s Campaign that will bring its leader the Rev. Dr. William Barber to Mercedes’ Vance factory on May 13th, the day voting begins. Barber’s presence will certainly boost a vote for unionization.
The South’s continued history of slavery, division and oppression of workers, is on the line. Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Mississippi governors released a joint letter recently urging their followers to hold the line and not allow United Auto Workers to win at Volkswagen, Mercedes and other southern plants. That did not work in Tennessee.
Now local chambers of commerce, some elected and appointed officials are busy trying to hold the line, reportedly through fear and intimidation tactics. There are anit-worker videos and ads on television outlets, radio stations, Facebook, Instagram and newspapers. State and company pressure for a no vote is on.
Former crimson tide and NFL cornerback Antonio Langham was at a rally held at Tuscaloosa’s Christian Community Church and encouraged workers. Langham said NFL players got better health care because of the NFL Players Association fighting for workers against team owners. With the UAW, workers can do the same, he said.
No one that this writer met in a two-day swing through Alabama seemed to know much about Mercedes Benz history. The company has unions in its German factories. Its existence in Alabama seems contingent on keeping an anti-union environment.
The company seems to have decided to go along with the South’s program. Fear in the workplace is an example. The company has a history of going along with the program.
When Hitler rose to power in 1932 Mercedes factories had 6,000 plus employees. As Hitler made war in Europe Germany’s troops captured hundreds of thousands of Jews and others. 60,000 became slaves in Mercedes factories. The auto giant had 68,000 plus workers by the end of WWII. The company apologized in the 1980’s and paid a small $12 million reparations to its victims. The company did not respond to questions about its WWII history.
*Pat Bryant is a long time southern poet, community organizer, and journalist reporting and writing about the southern civil rights and human rights movement

Greene County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. makes donation to Greene County Health System

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Eutaw, AL – Ms. Miriam Leftwich, on behalf of the Greene County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., presented a donation to Dr. Marcia Pugh, Chief Executive Officer, for equipment and supplies. Greene County Health System appreciates and welcomes all community support. Pictured center: Dr. Marcia Pugh and Miriam Leftwich.

Back row left to right: Vera Rice, Ashley Polk, Lakisha Gill, and Marquita Walton. Photo Credit: Andrea Woods

Mark Your Calendars

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Preparing for the 49th annual Black Belt Folk Roots Festival

By Carol Prejean Zippert

Just four months before the annual community celebration of the Black Belt Folk Roots Festival, scheduled for August 24 -25, 2024 on the Thomas Gilmore Courthouse Square in Eutaw, and phone calls, texts, emails, and other contacts are pouring in with the perennial question: We’re having the Festival this year, right? The inquiries are more a declaration than a question. So, yes community, we are preparing for the 49th Black Belt Folk Roots Festival.
The festival was organized in 1975 to pay tribute to those persons recognized as bearers of the folkway, traditions and culture of the West Alabama Region, exemplified through their creations in craft, music, dance, storytelling and foodways. Recently, in observance of National Small Business Week, Representative Terri Sewell toured small businesses in her 7th Congressional District, stopping for lunch at Travis Chicago Style, a locally owned food truck in Birmingham known for their Polish Sausage and Bear Burgers. Travis Holmes is a regular at the annual festival. During the two-day festival activities, the line of folk eager for his delicacies is unending, continuing long after the day’s programs are closed down.
Many of the festival’s founding elders, the bearers of the culture, have transitioned, signaling a greater need to preserve the stories of struggle, perseverance and the joy shared in How we made it over. Saturday’s Ole Timey Blues recounts hardship and pain. Sunday’s Ole Timey Gospel lifts the spirit in the joy of faith and hope. The grateful music is accented by the colorful crafts that adorn the grounds as well.
There are fewer quilts, baskets and other traditional crafts of the earlier years, but the young folk come with their own brand of “handmade.” They bring a variety of handcrafted jewelry and other adornments; home made soaps in exotic scents but with useful purposes. They bring art works depicting their views of the world, or just living in a day. They offer decorative items to cheer a body and a home. But the young crafters come and claim the festival in their own ways.
Belt Folk Roots Festival will again feature the Kid’s Tent with hands-on art workshops. The Kid’s Tent is a special adventure for children at the festival.  They don’t have to do “grown folk stuff.” They have their own piece of the celebration.  Various art supplies are provided for the children to work at their own creations, which they can keep.  The Kid’s Tent also offers pottery making, face painting and games.
There are costs in producing the festival and we are grateful for the contributors who value the festival, including the Alabama Tourism Department, Alabama Power Foundation, Black Belt Community Foundation, grants from Legislators, other non-profits and local merchants. We appreciate the support of local and county government.
This festival in unique in that there is no admission charge, simply because it is a community celebration. It would be like charging your family a fee to come home for Thanksgiving. The festival brings people together because they need and desire to be together.
So, yes community, we are preparing for the 49th annual Black Belt Folk Roots Festival.